Adjustably positionable sneeze guard

ABSTRACT

An adjustably positionable sneeze guard includes a transparent panel having an upper surface and a lower surface, and at least two continuously flexible legs having a proximal end and a distal end. Preferably, the distal end of each support leg is attached to the lower surface of the transparent panel by means of a thumb screw, and the proximal end of each support leg is secured to a stationary base by means of a c-shaped clamp mechanism. The transparent panel is adjustably positioned on the stationary base in front of and above food, beverage or other items, to provide a barrier which protects said items from contaminants expelled from the mouth or nose of a person on the opposite side of the transparent panel. The adjustable positioning makes the sneeze guard suitable for self service, attended service, and temporary buffet service lines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to an apparatus designed for use in buffet service where unpackaged prepared food is displayed, to provide a barrier, which is placed in front of and above displayed food and beverage items, to block contaminants expelled from the mouth or nose of a customer. More specifically, the invention pertains to an adjustably positionable sneeze guard with a transparent panel having an upper surface and a lower surface, at least two flexible support legs, continuously flexible from a proximal end to a distal end, said distal end of each said support leg attached to said lower surface said transparent panel, and said proximal end of each said support leg attached to a stationary base, whereby, said transparent panel is adjustably positioned on said stationary base in front of and above food, beverage or other items, to protect said items from droplet contamination.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Various sneeze guards have been used for many years to protect unpackaged prepared food, displayed in a service line for customer viewing and selection, from contaminants expelled from the mouth or nose of a customer. State and local laws and regulations in fact require all such food to be shielded from droplet contamination.

Sneeze guards are therefore well known in the food service industry. Sneeze guards are customarily used in retail food service such as cafeterias, smorgasbords, salad bars and buffet lines, which provide a service line displaying food for a customer's selection. Sneeze guards must protect the displayed food in the zone of potential droplet contamination. The zone of potential droplet contamination is determined based upon the height and placement of the service line, and the average height range of the potential customers.

Sneeze guards are available in many styles and configurations. Traditionally, sneeze guards have a rigid frame, or have two or more rigid and stationary support posts, and a fixed pane of glass or plastic material which provides the shield or barrier between the displayed food and the customers. In the standard type of sneeze guard, the rigid frame or support posts are generally permanently affixed to a stationary base, such as a service counter.

Some sneeze guards are designed for use with an attended station in a retail food establishment. In the attended station, the customer in a service line views the displayed food through a transparent shield, and the selected food is served or handed to the customer by an employee of the retail food establishment. The shield pane(s) of sneeze guards for use in an attended station service line are generally made so that such panes are completely in front of and over the displayed food, preventing the food from being handled or touched by the potential customers.

There are also sneeze guards designed for service lines which are self service. In the self service areas, the customer in a service line also views the displayed food through a transparent shield, but then reaches under the shield to obtain the selected food item. The shield pane(s) of sneeze guards for use in a self service area of a service line are generally made so that such pane(s) cover the food from the top and partially cover the displayed food from the front, allowing sufficient space for the customer to reach under the pane(s) to obtain the food.

With the rigid support post type of sneeze guard, the same unit could not be used interchangeably for an attended station and for a self service area service line.

Adjustable sneeze guards are also known. Such adjustable sneeze guards may have rigid support posts which may allow the pane of shield material to be raised or lowered through a vertical plane. Other adjustable sneeze guards have a pivoting mechanism which allows a portion of the support post or pane of shield material to pivot, thereby changing the angle of the pane of shield material. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,118 B2, issued to Matus, Jr., discloses such an adjustable sneeze guard.

The rigid support post type adjustable sneeze guards are generally heavy and designed for permanent installation in a service line. Furthermore, while such sneeze guards are adjustable, there are limitations to adjustability which may result in a sneeze guard failing to give protection over the entire zone of potential droplet contamination under some circumstances. In addition, making the required adjustments may require tools and considerable time.

In addition to sneeze guards made with rigid frames or supports, sneeze guards may also be suspended by devices such as chains, ropes, wires or other similar suspension equipment. The height of the sneeze guard may be adjusted by raising or lowing the suspension equipment.

Several problems occur with the suspension type sneeze guard. A significant concern is that the sneeze guard may be easily moved out of the zone of potential droplet contamination unless properly restrained by other devices. Use of such suspension type sneeze guard is impracticable in facilities with high ceilings. Furthermore, the angle of the pane of shield material is generally not adjustable.

The traditional rigid frame or rigid support post sneeze guard is well suited to the familiar salad bar or smorgasbord which is generally a permanent installation in a retail food establishment. Recently, however, there has been an increase in non-traditional means of retail food service. Such means include buffet tables, salad bars, hors d'oeuvre tables, and food sample tables.

Buffet tables or counters may be set up in lobbies, meeting rooms, bar areas, ballrooms, and other areas not traditionally used for food preparation. Retail food stores, and warehouse type stores, routinely have food sample tables where customers can try a small sample of food items for sale. These temporary buffet tables and food sample tables may be either the attended station type or self service. Such buffet tables, and food sample tables, are generally movable, and used for buffet service, or food sampling, for limited periods on an intermittent, irregular basis.

Sneeze guards of the fixed non-adjustable type, and the adjustable rigid frame or rigid support post type, are not suitable for use with a temporary buffet table or sample table. Such sneeze guards are too heavy and bulky to be easily set up and removed, and may require permanent attachment to the service counter or table. In some cases, because the table being used is small and light, use of the standard type sneeze would result in tipping over of the table. Adjustability of a standard type sneeze guard is also limited and may not accommodate certain serving items, such as large chafing dishes. Such sneeze guards are also bulky and difficult to store during the times when they are not in use.

The present invention is directed toward addressing and solving these problems by providing a sneeze guard which is light and easy to handle, easy to set up and remove, and does not require permanent attachment to the service counter or table. The present invention also addresses the problem of storage of temporary use sneeze guards in that the sneeze guard is easily disassembled and, when disassembled, takes up much less space than the standard sneeze guard.

The present invention is further directed to solving the problem of being able to quickly and easily convert the sneeze guard for use with either an attended station, or a self service, service line. With the addition of a rigid section to the continuously flexible support leg of the present invention, the problem of accommodating large serving items is also solved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The adjustably positionable sneeze guard of the present invention includes a transparent panel, at least two flexible support legs continuously flexible from a proximal end to a distal end, a means for attaching said distal end of each of said support legs to said transparent panel, and, a means for mounting said proximal end of each said support leg to a stationary base, whereby, said transparent panel is adjustably positioned on said stationary base in front of and above food, beverage or other items, to provide a barrier which protects said items from contaminants expelled from the mouth or nose of a person on the opposite side of the transparent panel.

Said transparent panel has an upper surface, a lower surface, a forward edge, and a rearward edge. The distal end of each said support leg is attached to the lower surface, adjacent the rearward edge, of the transparent panel. The proximal end of each said support leg is mounted to a stationary base. The transparent panel is then adjustably positioned on said stationary base in front of and above food, beverage or other items, by bending the continuously flexible support legs through various angles and curves.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a sneeze guard suitable for temporary buffet use, which is light and easy to handle, is easy to set up and remove, does not require permanent attachment to the service counter or table, and may be used even with small portable tables. A further objective is to provide a sneeze guard which is easily disassembled and compact when disassembled, thereby requiring a small amount space for storage when it is not in use.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a sneeze guard which may be quickly and easily converted for use with either an attended station, or a self service, service line. Another object is to allow food and serving items to be easily and quickly replaced, even from the front, by moving the shield pane up and out of the way. Yet another object is to solve the problem of accommodating large serving items, such as a large chafing dish, by providing an extender shaft—an additional rigid support leg section—which may be quickly and easily added or removed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a right front perspective view of an adjustably positionable sneeze guard of the present invention, shown in environment, with continuously flexible support legs attached by a clamping mechanism to the front edge of a table (shown cut away);

FIG. 2 is a left side elevational view as in FIG. 1, the right side view thereof being a mirror image;

FIG. 3 is a right front perspective view of an adjustably positionable sneeze guard of the present invention, shown in environment, with the continuously flexible support legs attached by a clamping mechanism to the rear edge of a table (shown cut away);

FIG. 4 is a left side elevational view as in FIG. 2, the right side view thereof being a mirror image;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view as in FIG. 2, showing the flexible support legs in a bent backward position, with the transparent panel raised into a nearly vertical position;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view as in FIG. 2, showing the flexible support legs in a slightly bent forward position, with the transparent panel angled forward at approximately 45 degrees from horizontal;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view as in FIG. 2, showing the flexible support legs in a bent forward position, with the transparent panel angled forward at a nearly vertical angle;

FIG. 8 is a close-up front perspective view of the clamping mechanism with a cut-away portion of a flexible support leg attached;

FIG. 9 is a close-up, exploded front perspective view of the cut-away top left section of the sneeze guard panel, showing a thumb screw with head and threaded shaft and the cut-away distal end portion of a flexible support leg;

FIG. 10 is a close-up, exploded perspective view of a cut-away portion of the proximal end of a support leg having a threaded shaft, a plate having a female threaded aperture to accept the threaded shaft of the support leg and a plurality of holes, and screws for affixing said plate to a stationary base;

FIG. 11 is a right front perspective view of the adjustably positionable sneeze guard as in FIG. 1, shown in environment, with a rigid extender shaft interposed between each of the continuously flexible support legs and the transparent panel; and

FIG. 12 is a close-up, exploded front perspective view of the cut-away top left section of the sneeze guard panel, showing the distal end (cut-away) of a flexible support leg with a rigid extender shaft interposed between the flexible support leg and the transparent panel, and showing a thumb screw with head and threaded shaft.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 3, the adjustably positionable sneeze guard 10 of the present invention comprises a transparent panel 11, at least two flexible support legs 16, continuously flexible from a proximal end 17 to a distal end 18, attaching said distal end 18 of each said support leg 16 to a lower surface 13 adjacent a rearward edge 15 of said transparent panel 11 by means of a thumb screw 43, and a C-shaped bracket 21 securing said proximal end 17 of each said support leg 16 to a stationary base 41. FIGS. 1 and 3 show the present invention in environment with food in serving trays on a cut-away view of said stationary base 41.

In FIGS. 1 and 3, said adjustably positionable sneeze guard 10 is mounted on said stationary base 41 by means of a C-shaped bracket 21 which is secured by tightening a rotatable retention member 25 (shown more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 4) having a hand grasp 31. This means of mounting said sneeze guard 10 allows easy installation and removal, without the need for any tools, as said C-shaped bracket 21 is secured by simple hand tightening. An additional advantage of using a means such as said C-shaped bracket 21 is that it may be secured to a variety of stationary bases 41 having differing thicknesses. Other means exist for mounting said adjustably positionable sneeze guard 10 on said stationary base 41, either as a temporary or a permanent installation, such as other clamping mechanisms and fixed plates or brackets.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, said C-shaped bracket 21 is attached at the front of said stationary base 41. In this configuration, a self service type buffet is shown wherein said transparent panel 11 is adjustably positioned on said stationary base 41 partially in front of, and above food, beverage or other items, to provide a barrier which protects said items from contaminants expelled from the mouth or nose of a person on the opposite side of the transparent panel 11, while still allowing such person to reach the food items below a forward edge 14 of said transparent panel 11. As best seen in FIG. 2, the adjustable positioning is accomplished by bending said flexible support legs 16 so that they are upright with a slight forward curve. More of an S-shaped curve may be used to lower the overall height of the sneeze guard 10 or change the angle of the transparent panel 11.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, said C-shaped bracket 21 is attached at the rear of said stationary base 41. In this configuration, an attended station type service line is shown wherein said transparent panel 11 is adjustably positioned on said stationary base 41 completely in front of, and above food, beverage or other items, to provide a barrier which protects said items from contaminants expelled from the mouth or nose of a person on the opposite side of the transparent panel 11, and preventing such person from reaching or touching the food items below a forward edge 14 of said transparent panel 11. As best seen in FIG. 4, the adjustable positioning is accomplished by bending said flexible support legs 16 so that they have a forward curve of nearly ninety degrees (90°).

Said transparent panel 11 may be constructed from any of several materials, including acrylic, polycarbonate, poly methyl methacrylate, or other plastics, and glass. It will be appreciated that the lighter weight materials, such as acrylics and plastics, offer many advantages, such as greater ease in setting up and removing said sneeze guard 10, and allowing for placement on a light weight or portable stationary base 41. In addition, use of acrylics or plastics in the construction of the transparent panel 11 offers safety advantages, in that such material is less breakable than glass and more easily stored when said adjustably positionable sneeze guard 10 is not in use.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 7, the transparent panel 11 has an upper surface 12 and lower surface 13, and a forward edge 14 and rearward edge 15. Said transparent panel 11 may be constructed from a completely flat pane or a slightly concave pane. In FIGS. 1 through 7, the transparent panel 11 is shown as a flat pane with an angled section 19 wherein said transparent panel 11 has been bent and a small section along the entire forward edge 14 has been angled downward. Such construction provides greater strength than a completely flat pane, thereby reducing flex in the transparent panel 11.

Any of several materials may used for said flexible support legs 16, including flexible metal tubing and spring steel material, provided such material retains the shape to which it is bent. It will be appreciated that the flexible support legs 16 may be continuously flexible, or may have a rigid section at either proximal end 17 or distal end 18. An advantage of providing a rigid section is increased strength of said support legs 16, which allows for increased overall height of the adjustably positionable sneeze guard 10. The flexible support legs 16 may also be covered with any of a variety of materials such as vinyl or rubber which allow for easier cleaning and a more esthetic appearance.

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate a few of the many positions into which the adjustably positionable sneeze guard 10 is capable of being positioned. In FIG. 5, the support legs 16 are curved backward and the transparent panel 11 is moved into an almost vertical position with the forward edge 14 pointing upward. In this Figure, the sneeze guard 10 is completely out of the way and food and serving items may be easily removed or replaced, or the surface of the stationary base 41 may be easily cleaned. Such positioning also allows the lower surface 13 of the panel 11 to be easily cleaned. FIG. 6 is representative of positioning for a self service buffet area wherein the support legs 16 are curved forward so that the forward edge 14 of the transparent panel 11 is angled downward in order to cover food which may be placed beneath it, but still allow access to such food. In FIG. 7, the support legs 16 are curved forward into a tighter arc resulting in the transparent panel 11 being nearly vertical with the forward edge 14 pointing downward.

Preferably, for ease of set up and removal for use with a temporary buffet, a mounting mechanism, which is easy to install and remove, would be used to mount the adjustably positionable sneeze guard 10 to a stationary base 41. The C-shaped bracket 21 in FIG. 8, shown with a cut-away section of the proximal end 17 of a support leg 16, is representative of such a mounting device. In FIG. 8, support leg 16 is attached to the upper side 22 of bracket 21 by means of threaded connector 34 inserted into a female threaded aperture 38 (similar to the one shown in FIG. 10) having a collar 32. The lower side 23 of bracket 21 includes a treaded bore 24 and a rotatable retention member 25 having a threaded shaft 26 engaged with said threaded bore 24, and said shaft 26 including a disc 29 at the upper end 27 and a hand grasp 31 at the lower end 28. Such a mounting device allows the sneeze guard 10 to be mounted on a variety of stationary bases 41 on either the front or rear of said bases 41 (as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3).

In FIG. 10, a representative fixed installation mounting device is illustrated. This Figure shows an exploded view of a cut-away section of the proximal end 17 of a support leg 16 attached to the upper side 36 of a plate 35 by means of threaded connector 34 inserted into a female threaded aperture 38 having a collar 40. The threaded connector 34 includes a nut portion 33 to securely tighten said threaded connector 34 into the threaded aperture 38. The plate 35 includes a plurality of holes 39 through which screws 42 may be passed to attach said plate 35 to the stationary base 41. Other means could be employed for attachment to the stationary base 41 such as bolts, adhesives, or welds.

Preferably, the means for attaching the distal end 18 of the support leg 16 to the transparent panel 11 of the adjustably positionable sneeze guard 10 is one which allows for easy attachment and removal of said transparent panel 11. In FIG. 9, a cut-away section of a transparent panel 11 is shown having an aperture 46 adjacent the rearward edge 15 of the panel 11. This exploded view shows a representative thumb screw 43 having a head 44 and a threaded shaft portion 45. Said shaft portion 45 is passed through the aperture 46 in the panel 11, then through a washer 47, into a threaded hole 48 in the distal end 18 of a support leg 16 (shown cut-away), said head 44 being secured in snug relation against the upper surface 12 of said panel 11.

There exist many other means to attach the transparent panel 11 to the support leg 16 including a variety of clamps, brackets, bolts, nuts, screws and other fasteners, as well as adhesives. The thumb screw 43 used in the preferred embodiment, and other threaded devices, offer advantages over these other means by providing for quick and easy assembly and disassembly without the necessity of tools, as well as easy replacement of a transparent panel 11 if it is broken, scratched or damaged, or in the event that a different size panel 11 is desired. One such alternate means is a threaded bolt extending from the distal end 18 of the support leg 16 through the aperture 46 from the lower surface 13 of the panel 11, being secured by nut in snug relation against the upper surface 12 of the panel 11.

In FIGS. 11 and 12, a rigid extender shaft leg 49 having a bottom end 51 and a top end 52 is shown interposed between the distal end 18 of the flexible support leg 16 (cut away of portion of distal end shown in FIG. 12) and the transparent panel 11 to provide additional overall height to the adjustably positionable sneeze guard 10. Such additional height may be desired to accommodate large chafing dishes or other large serving dishes. In FIG. 12, the extender shaft 49 is shown with a threaded extension 53 extending from the bottom end 51 into the threaded hole 48 in the distal end 18 of the flexible support leg 16. The same cut-away section of a transparent panel 11 is shown in FIG. 12 as in FIG. 9. In the exploded view in FIG. 12, a thumb screw 43 having a threaded shaft portion 45 is passed through the aperture 46 in panel 11, then through the washer 47, into a threaded hole 54 in the top end 52 of the extender shaft 49. The extender shaft may thus be quickly and easily installed and/or removed without tools. Other methods for coupling the extender shaft 49 to a flexible leg 16, and attaching an extender shaft 49 to the transparent panel 11, exist such as including a variety of clamps, brackets, bolts, nuts, screws, and other fasteners.

It will be appreciated, then, that I have disclosed herein a sneeze guard which may be adjustably positioned in front of and above food, beverage or other items, to provide a barrier which protects said items from contaminants, usable in both self service and attended station food service lines, which is particularly suitable for temporary buffet service. 

1. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard, comprising: a. a transparent panel having an upper surface, a lower surface, a forward edge, and a rearward edge; b. at least two flexible support legs, continuously flexible from a proximal end to a distal end; c. a means for attaching said distal end of each said support leg to said lower surface adjacent said rearward edge of said transparent panel; and, d. a means for mounting said proximal end of each said support leg to a stationary base, whereby, said transparent panel is adjustably positioned on said stationary base in front of and above food, beverage or other items, to provide a barrier which protects said items from contaminants expelled from the mouth or nose of a person on the opposite side of the transparent panel.
 2. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard as in claim 1 in which said panel is constructed of a plastic material.
 3. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard as in claim 1 in which said panel is constructed of an acrylic material.
 4. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard as in claim 1 in which said panel is constructed of a glass material.
 5. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard as in claim 1 in which said support legs are constructed of a flexible tubing material.
 6. A flexible sneeze guard as in claim 1 in which said support legs are constructed of a spring steel material.
 7. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard as in claim 1 in which said support legs are covered with a vinyl material.
 8. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard as in claim 1 in which said support legs are covered with a rubberized material.
 9. A flexible sneeze guard as in claim 1, in which said means for attaching said distal end of said support legs to said panel comprises a screw having a head and a threaded shaft portion, said shaft portion passing through an aperture in said panel into a threaded hole in said distal end, said head being secured in snug relation against said upper surface of said panel.
 10. A flexible sneeze guard as in claim 1, in which said means for attaching said distal end of said support legs to said panel comprises a threaded bolt extending from said distal end, said bolt passing through an aperture in said panel from the lower surface thereof into a nut, said nut being secured in snug relation against said upper surface of said panel.
 11. A flexible sneeze guard as in claim 1, in which said means for mounting said proximal end of said support legs to said stationary base comprises a threaded connector extending from said proximal end, a plate having a female threaded aperture in an upper side thereof into which said threaded connector is secured, said plate further having a plurality of holes through which screws or bolts may be passed to attach said plate to said stationary base.
 12. A flexible sneeze guard as in claim 1 in which said means for mounting said proximal end of said support legs to said stationary base is a clamp mechanism comprising: a. a c-shaped bracket having an upper side and a lower side, said proximal end of said support leg having a threaded connector connected to a female threaded aperture in said upper side, and said lower side being provided with a threaded bore; and b. a rotatable retention member having a threaded shaft engaged with said threaded bore, and said shaft including a disc on an upper end and a hand grasp on a lower end.
 14. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard as in claim 1 in which a small section of said transparent panel, along the entire forward edge thereof, is bent and angled downward.
 15. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard, comprising: a. a transparent panel having an upper surface, a lower surface, a forward edge, and a rearward edge; b. at least two flexible support legs, continuously flexible from a proximal end to a distal end; c. a connector attaching said distal end of each said support leg to said lower surface adjacent said rearward edge of said transparent panel; and, d. a connector securing said proximal end of each said support leg to a stationary base, whereby, said transparent panel is adjustably positioned on said stationary base in front of and above food, beverage or other items, to provide a barrier which protects said items from contaminants expelled from the mouth or nose of a person on the opposite side of the transparent panel.
 16. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard, comprising: a. a transparent panel having an upper surface, a lower surface, a forward edge, and a rearward edge, and at least two apertures in said panel adjacent the rearward edge thereof; b. at least two flexible support legs, having a proximal end and a distal end, the number of said support legs corresponding to the number of said apertures in said panel, said distal end further having a threaded hole; c. at least two knurled knob thumb screws, having a head and a threaded shaft portion, the number corresponding to the number of said apertures, each said shaft portion passing through each said aperture into said threaded hole in said distal end said support leg, said thumb screw being secured in a snug relation against said upper surface of said transparent panel; and, d. at least two clamp mechanisms, the number corresponding to the number of said support legs, said clamp mechanisms comprising: a c-shaped bracket having an upper side and a lower side, said proximal end of said support leg having a threaded connector connected to a female threaded aperture in said upper side, and said lower side being provided with a threaded bore; and a rotatable retention member having a threaded shaft engaged with said threaded bore, and said shaft including a disc on an upper end and a hand grasp on a lower end, whereby, said transparent panel is adjustably positioned on said stationary base in front of and above food, beverage or other items, to provide a barrier which protects said items from contaminants expelled from the mouth or nose of a person on the opposite side of said transparent panel.
 17. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard, comprising: a. a transparent panel having an upper surface, a lower surface, a forward edge, and a rearward edge; b. at least two flexible support legs having a proximal end and a distal end, a portion of one end of each said support leg being rigid and the remainder of said support leg being continuously flexible to the other end thereof; c. a connector attaching said distal end of each said support leg to said lower surface adjacent said rearward edge of said transparent panel; and, d. a connector securing said proximal end of each said support leg to a stationary base, whereby, said transparent panel is adjustably positioned on said stationary base in front of and above food, beverage or other items, to provide a barrier which protects said items from contaminants expelled from the mouth or nose of a person on the opposite side of the transparent panel.
 18. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard as in claim 17 in which said rigid portion of said support leg is removably connected to said continuously flexible portion of said support leg.
 19. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard as in claim 17 in which said rigid portion of said support leg is located at said distal end of said support leg.
 20. An adjustably positionable sneeze guard as in claim 17 in which said rigid portion of said support leg is located at said proximal end of said support leg. 